Puffed Pizza Bites

The holidays are quickly approaching, so it is a great time to begin to collect ideas for holiday entertaining. These easy pizza bites are always a hit when I make them and are usually gobbled up as soon as I take them out of the oven. These bites consist of rounds of puff pastry that I top with a spoonful of my Quick Tomato Sauce, some shredded mozzarella, and a pitted Kalamata olive. Once they are out of the oven, I garnish them with small, fresh basil leaves, and they are ready to serve. We are focusing on a plant based diet, so I didn’t add any meat to my pizza bites. You could however add a little crumbled, browned sausage meat, or even a slice small pepperoni sausage if you wanted a heartier appetizer. Depending on the brand of puff pastry I use and the size, I can get about 9 to 12 pizza bites from each sheet. These tasty bites are truly addictive, so I’d advise you to allow at least three per person. Nothing is worse than serving something everyone loves and then running short!

I just use a small juice glass from my kitchen to cut my rounds, so you do not need to have a biscuit cutter or any other tool. I also like to brush all my puff pastry appetizers with an egg wash to ensure they brown nicely. I have found that using parchment paper on your baking sheets does prevent these bites from sticking if the cheese melts while cooking. I tried using foil and found that the bites stuck and were much more difficult to remove.

Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele 2014

Puffed Pizza Bites

Yield: Makes 9 per Sheet

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

This easy appetizer can be prepared in mere minutes using store bought puff pastry and will be enjoyed by the entire family.

Ingredients

1 Package Frozen Puff Pastry, Thawed (My Brand Has Two Sheets)

1 Large Egg

1 Cup Quick Tomato Sauce (Or Your Favorite Tomato Sauce)

Pitted, Drained Kalamata Olives

1 1/3 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Small Fresh Basil Leaves

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Beat the egg with a tablespoon of water in a small bowl or cup.

From each pastry sheet, use a small juice cup (about 3 to 3 1/2 inch diameter) to cut as many circles as possible from the puff pastry.

Place the rounds on the prepared baking sheets, and lightly brush with the egg wash.

Place a teaspoon of the tomato sauce in the center of each round.

Top with the shredded mozzarella, keeping the edges free.

Finally, place half an olive on each round and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the pizza bites are puffed and browned.